6. The Commitments
Jimmy Rabbitte, who has been lifting dole cheques for two years, is determined that he will be the manager of the greatest living band. But they have to be a soul band - Jimmy is disgusted with the quality of Irish bands and he wants to manage a band that takes inspiration from Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. He holds auditions and manages to create a great band called The Commitments, but internal politics threaten to tear "The World's Hardest Working Band" asunder. The soundtrack is undoubtedly one of the best things about The Commitments and it did very well on a small world scale opening up a whole new generation to the sounds of classic soul. The acting is a bit wobbly, but being based on a Roddy Doyle novel, the dialogue is absolutely hysterical and the film does not shy away from painting a gritty and realistic picture of working class Dublin. There is also a lot of swearing in the film which adds to the realism. It is a film to cheer you up immensely despite being void of feel good plot contrivances and a happy ending. The characters are all interesting and they have their flaws. Ultimately the movie elevates itself above the mundane and clichéd with its warm view of humanity with all of its delights and disappointments.